Other Rooms is a photographic project on the reconstruction of imaginary spaces. I imagine such spaces as a reflective place in one's mind, where distressing emotional experiences can coexist with a present awareness of one's state of mind. I build and digitally rearrange images in geometrical and irregular shapes to visualize the structuring of imagined spaces. The displacement of images reflects how visual information is stored and merges over time. I use shapes as entrances and borders in imagined landscapes where opposites coexist, and ambiguity is the norm. This project lies at the intersection of perceived reality and built spaces. Each shaped image is a container of emotions, perceptions, and fantasies. Each container is an individual space that complements other spaces, resembling sections of a musical piece. The work questions how imaginary spaces form and function and how idiosyncratic perception influences and shapes the way we make sense of the world.

‍

About
Xuemeng Zhang is a visual artist whose practice is driven by exploring connections between the mind and the eye. Her work navigates between identity and culture, belonging and alienation, and apprehension and mindfulness. Zhang was born in Beijing and currently lives and works in New York City. She holds a BA in Psychology and Studio Art from Clark University and an MFA in Photography, Video, and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts. Zhang was listed as a finalist in the 17th Arte Laguna Prize and received honourable mentions in Chromatic Photography Awards and New York Photography Awards. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Untitled Art (Miami Beach, United States), Kühlhaus Berlin (Berlin, Germany), Blank Wall Gallery (Athens, Greece), Floor_ Gallery (Seoul, South Korea), ZAZ 10TS (New York, United States), and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia, United States).